Communication system and method for communicating the availability of a parking space

Abstract

A system and method of using V2V communication to inventory and communicate the availability of a parking space. The method includes capturing and analyzing an image of a parking area to identify the availability and location of a parking space. Real time images of roaming vehicles are also captured and analyzed to identify recently occupied or vacated parking spaces. Available parking spaces are inventoried in a data base. The method further includes a roaming V2V vehicle detecting the availability and location of a parking space and transmitting the information to other V2V vehicles and to the data base to augment the inventory. The database inventory is then transmitted by a roadside unit to a V2V equipped vehicle within the parking area. The V2V vehicle merges the information from the database and other V2V vehicles, and generates a LDM displaying the locations of non-occupied parking spaces contained in the multiple signals.

The following is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method of using a V2V communication system on a vehicle for communicating availability of a parking space within a parking area, includes the steps of:
 detecting, using a sensor on the vehicle, whether an object is within a parking space as the vehicle drives past the parking space;   assigning, using a processor on the vehicle, a status to the parking space of either occupied or non-occupied;   determining, using a position locator on the vehicle, the location of the vehicle when the vehicle is adjacent the parking space;   assigning, using the processor, a location of the parking space based on the location of the vehicle; and   transmitting, using a transmitter on the vehicle, a vehicle data stream containing the status and location of the parking space.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further includes the steps of:
 receiving, using a receiver on the vehicle, an incoming data stream containing the status and location of another parking space.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further includes the steps of:
 merging, using the processor, the statuses and locations of parking spaces contained in the vehicle data stream and the incoming data stream; and   displaying, using a display screen in the vehicle, a local dynamic map of the parking area showing the merged statuses and locations of the parking spaces, and the current location of the vehicle within the parking area.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the incoming data stream is transmitted from another vehicle within the parking area. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the incoming data stream is transmitted from a roadside unit. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further includes the steps of:
 capturing, using an infrastructure camera, an image of a portion of the parking area;   assigning, using an infrastructure processor, a status and a location for each of the parking spaces within the portion of the parking lot based on the image from the camera; and   sending an infrastructure data stream, using the road side unit, containing the status and location for each of the parking spaces within the portion of the parking lot.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further includes the steps of:
 capturing, using the infrastructure camera, the real time movement of a roaming vehicle moving into a parking space having the status of non-occupied; and   measuring, using the infrastructure processor, the length of time the roaming vehicle remains in the parking space based on the real time movement of the roaming vehicle, and
 i. maintaining the status of the parking space as non-occupied if the roaming vehicle continues roaming before a predetermined length of time has elapsed, or 
 ii. assigning a status to the parking space as occupied if the roaming vehicle remains stationary at or after the predetermined length of time has elapsed. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the camera continues tracking the roaming vehicle if the vehicle leaves the parking space before the predetermined length time has elapsed. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , further includes the steps of:
 capturing, using the infrastructure camera, the real time movement of a vehicle vacating a parking space having the status of occupied; and   assigning, using the infrastructure processor, a status of non-occupied to the parking space once the vehicle vacated the parking space.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , further includes the steps of:
 receiving, by the infrastructure processor, multiple data streams containing statuses and locations of parking spaces;   merging, by the infrastructure processor, the statuses and locations of parking spaces contained in the multiple data streams; and   transmitting, by the road side unit, a merged data stream containing the merged statuses and locations of parking spaces;   wherein sources of the multiple data stream are transmitted from multiple vehicles.   
     
     
         11 . A method of using V2V communication to inventory and communicate an available parking space within a parking area, includes:
 capturing an image of a parking area having at least one parking space;   analyzing the image to identify whether a parking space is occupied or non-occupied;   assigning a location to a non-occupied parking space;   inventorying the location of the non-occupied parking space in a database;   transmitting a signal containing the location of the non-occupied parking space;   receiving the signal by a V2V equipped vehicle; and   processing the signal by the V2V equipped vehicle to display a local dynamic map showing the location of the non-occupied parking space.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further includes:
 detecting, by the V2V vehicle, a non-occupied parking space as the V2V vehicle drives past the non-occupied parking space;   transmitting a data signal, by the V2V vehicle, containing the location of the non-occupied parking space to an infrastructure processor; and   updating, by the infrastructure processor, the inventory of non-occupied parking space in said database.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further includes:
 transmitting a vehicle data signal, by the V2V vehicle, containing the location of non-occupied parking space to other V2V vehicles within the parking area.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further includes:
 receiving multiple signals, by the V2V vehicle, containing locations of multiple non-occupied parking spaces in overlapping portions of the parking area;   merging, by a processor on board the V2V vehicle, overlapping portions of the parking area to generate a local dynamic map displaying the total locations of non-occupied parking spaces contained in the multiple signals.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further includes:
 capturing the real time movement of a vehicle vacating an occupied parking space; and   assigning a status to the parking space as non-occupied once the vehicle vacated the occupied parking space.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further includes:
 measuring the length of time after a roaming vehicle entered a parking space having the status of non-occupied; and   maintaining, using the infrastructure processor, the status of the parking space as non-occupied if the roaming vehicle continues roaming before a predetermined length of time has elapsed, or   assigning, using the infrastructure processor, a status to the parking space as occupied if the roaming vehicle remains stationary after the predetermined length of time has elapsed.   
     
     
         17 . A system for inventorying and communicating available parking spaces, includes:
 a sensor on a V2V vehicle configured to detect whether an object is within a parking space as the vehicle drives past the parking space;   a vehicle locator for identifying the location of the vehicle when the vehicle is adjacent the parking space;   a processor configured to assign a status to the parking space of either occupied or non-occupied, and assign a location of the parking space based on the location of the vehicle, and   a transmitter for transmitting a vehicle data stream containing the status and location of the parking space.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  further includes:
 a camera configured to capture an image of a parking area having a parking space; 
 an infrastructure processor configured to analyze the overhead image and assign a status to the parking space as either occupied or non-occupied based on the analysis of the overhead image; 
 a data base configured to inventory the location and status of the parking space; and 
 a road side transmitter configured to transmitting an infrastructure signal containing the status and location of the parking space to the V2V vehicle. 
 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the infrastructure processor is further configured to send an infrastructure signal to display a local dynamic map (LDM) showing the location and status of the parking space within the parking area. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , further includes:
 an infrastructure receiver configured to receive multiple vehicle data streams containing locations and statuses of parking spaces from multiple V2V vehicle;   wherein the infrastructure processor is further configured to merge the information contained in the multiple vehicle data streams to remove overlapping information.